Medieval Britain c.1250–c.1500
- Created by: YousraHasan55
- Created on: 06-10-19 15:43
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- Medieval Britain c.1250–c.1500
- The British Isles
- Medieval Britain was divided up into individual kingdoms
- England & Scotland where run by separate monarchs and governments
- This created frequent conflict between these neighbouring countries
- England also governed ireland & Wales
- English lords controlled land for the English King
- The Rural Economy
- 90% of the population in late medieval England Lived in the countryside
- there where a few bigger towns but most were small withe fewer than 3000 inhabitants
- Land was divided into special estates called manors
- Each manor was controlled my a lord who was incharge of the peasants who lived in their land
- New markets started appearing in the 13th century
- Locals produced things like ale , bread and textiles to sell
- Most trade was local , but there were some long-distance links in England with Europe
- 90% of the population in late medieval England Lived in the countryside
- The Power of Church an Elite Landowneras
- Late medieval society was very unequal and based on social hierarchy
- A very small number of noble landowners and bishops ruled over a big population of poor peasants who worked the land
- Political power was relate to land ownership
- The king often called leading men (e.g. noble landowners) to form a parliament to help him rule
- The Church owned loads of land, so it had lot of power
- Bishops often sat in parliament and advised the king
- Late medieval society was very unequal and based on social hierarchy
- Conflict And Disaster From The 14th Century
- Conflict
- England was involved in The Hundred Years' war against France 1337-1453
- There was a civil war over the English throne between 1455 and 1487 which is known as The War Of The Roses
- Disasters
- Europe's climate cooled down- winters got colder and summers got wetter
- This made it hard for for peopel t grow enugh food and there was a massive famine across Europe after crops failed in 1315
- A very contagious a deadly plague called the Black Death spread across Europe
- It reached England in 1384 and killed a large sum of peopel
- The population declined as a result of the famine and the Black Death so there were fewer people to farm the land
- Peasants were able to demand better wages and working conditions from their lords
- The social structure of Enland started to change as losrds had less control over peasnts
- Peasants were able to demand better wages and working conditions from their lords
- Europe's climate cooled down- winters got colder and summers got wetter
- Conflict
- Limited Diets
- Peasants only produced what they needed to survive-subsistence farming
- There was little spare food and one bad harvest could lead to a disaster
- people who lived next to lakes and rivers could catch fresh fish but fresh meat was hard to get
- Peasants often kept cows to make dairy products
- Bad weather made it harder to grow crops and could damage stored food
- Poisonous fungus could grow on damp grain and end up in flour
- Many peope where malnourished and many people starved especially when crop failures led to a major famine
- Malnutrition also made people more likely to catch diseases
- Peasants only produced what they needed to survive-subsistence farming
- Housing Conditions
- Most houses were small with only 1-2 rooms. They had wooden frames and the walls were built using sticks and clay. The roofs were thatched and the floor was hard earth
- An open fire was used for heating and cooking - this was a poor source of heat and the smoke was breathed in by in by the people of the hous
- glass was expensive so only the wealthy had window. Most houses had openings covered by shutters
- This meant the houses were dark, cold and stuffy
- Wealthy [people could afford castles and large manor houses.These gradually got more comfortable as big glass windows and large fire place were made
- Most medieval houses had no running water or toilets
- There were no sewers so people just threw their waste into the streets or a river
- Most water for drinking and cooking came from wells, rivers and streams
- People often lived in cramp housing conditions with their families and animals so diseases spread quickly
- The Black Death
- Pneumonic plague
- Airborne- spread by coughs and sneezes
- Attacked the lungs making it painful to breathe and causing the victim to cough up blood
- Bubonic plague
- Spread by bites of fleas from rats on ships
- Caused headaches and temperature followed by pus-filled swelling on the skin
- The Theory Of The Four Humours - Hippocrates
- Hippocrates believed that the body consisted of four fluids - blood, phlegm, yellow bile & black bile. These were linked to the four seasons and four element and to be in health, these had to be balanced
- Tried to cure it through blood letting and purging
- The miasma theory is he idea that bad air causes disease when someone breathes it in
- This miasma comes from human wste or dead bodies - anything that causes a bad smelll
- Carried strong smelling herbs and lit fires to purify the air
- In 1349 Edward II sent an order to the Lord Mayor to remove filth from the streets in hopes to get rid of bad smell
- Some people believed that it was judgment from God and disease was caused by sin
- Tried to cure it through prayer and fasting
- Believers in astrology carried around diamonds and rubies which they believed would protect them from the Black Death
- People carried around charms or used "magic" potions containing arsenic
- Pneumonic plague
- The British Isles
- Conflict And Disaster From The 14th Century
- Conflict
- England was involved in The Hundred Years' war against France 1337-1453
- There was a civil war over the English throne between 1455 and 1487 which is known as The War Of The Roses
- Disasters
- Europe's climate cooled down- winters got colder and summers got wetter
- This made it hard for for peopel t grow enugh food and there was a massive famine across Europe after crops failed in 1315
- A very contagious a deadly plague called the Black Death spread across Europe
- It reached England in 1384 and killed a large sum of peopel
- The population declined as a result of the famine and the Black Death so there were fewer people to farm the land
- Peasants were able to demand better wages and working conditions from their lords
- The social structure of Enland started to change as losrds had less control over peasnts
- Peasants were able to demand better wages and working conditions from their lords
- Europe's climate cooled down- winters got colder and summers got wetter
- Conflict
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